- Chapter Forty-Nine -
"You're fucking crying? You're the one who's hurt?"

AMBER, OLIVER AND LOUIS HADN'T COME BY YET.

It was nearing the end of Summer and every day Sherry would be on the look out for one of her friends names scrawled across envelopes on the Lupin doorstep. Every day she was disappointed. She supposed her loss of friends was inevitable after what had happened at school, she had already broken up with her boyfriend, beat the shit out of Potter and yelled at him. She had also cut a boy's hair off.

The boys had gone back to their houses after that incident. Except Black who Remus had mentioned went back to the Potter's house, Sherry couldn't care less. Every time she heard his name, anger swelled up inside her and took over her every being. Not only had he been the mastermind behind the entire thing, he acted like it was no big deal. And looking back on it, Sherry remembered Potter constantly turning around and looking for his encouragement that time on the Quidditch pitch.

That's not to say she was going to forgive Potter for his minimum involvement. He had the chance to stop Sirius but he didn't and he remained friends with him after knowing full well what he did. He had tagged along, not seen anything wrong with it and yes maybe when he saw how much it affected her, he became concerned but he was still coerced with nods from his friend.

Sherry didn't want to forgive anyone anymore. She wasn't going to give anyone the satisfaction. She wasn't going to forgive Matt, Black, Potter, her mother and even her friends who had yet to visit her in one of the darkest times of her life. Lyall and Hope were doing as best they could to keep Sherry from spiralling but she didn't often talk to them, just sat for meals and picked at her food.

She didn't eat, she barely slept...but she got dressed. Surprisingly. On the outside she seemed like the good old Sherry Opal, stylish and flirty with a resting bitch face. On the inside, she was far from it. Matt was right about the change. Most of what he said was drastic and dramatic but some of it Sherry understood. So to prove him wrong, she dressed again even if she wasn't planning on seeing him anytime soon.

Stephanie was the only friend who visited her everyday, reading magazines on the bed with her and obsessing over the boys in them. Sherry was so happy that the girl stayed with her even if everyone else got tired and eventually disappeared, so she tried not to think of how Steph was soon going to leave too.

She was going back to America for school just before the summer ended. And Sherry didn't think she was ready for it. One thing she did know was that she was going to try and break out the old Sherry Opal for Stephanie's last night.

After she had dinner, actually taking a few mouthfuls of Hope's delicious cooking, Sherry had run back to her room and dug the old Fake I.Ds out from the the bottom of her suitcase. She hadn't used it in Britain yet but for Stephanie's last night, she was going to. The picture was of her mother when she was younger which looked eerily similar to Sherry, after all that was where she got the inspiration from.

Stephanie had a similar one but since her mother was a different skin tone for her, Sherry, Connor and Michael (who Sherry felt a weight in her heart thinking about) made her look older than she was. They curled her hair, layered make-up on her and dressed her in her mothers clothes. The I.D had worked when they used it which resulted in high-fives all around.

Once she knew she had the I.D safe and on her make-up desk, Sherry put her favourite record on to play to get into the mood as she rooted through her wardrobe and found her dress she had been saving for special occasions. She supposed this was special enough. Hurriedly, she got changed and slipped the dress up her body before rushing back over to her makeup desk and doing a simple neutral look with red lipstick to match her dress.

Then she curled her, like always, grabbed a pair of red shoes to wear with her dress and stood in front of the mirror for a good five minutes. She tried not to criticise herself too much. But dressing like this, it was hard. It was a cherry red satin wrap dress with spaghetti straps and the shoes were suede chunky-heeled red heels with a tie leg design.

She grabbed a purse, stuck the I.D inside as well as her lipstick in case it needed redoing before she quietly exited the room and walked downstairs. There was an attempt to be quiet but as soon as her heel hit the stair, she knew it was no use to try.

"I'm going out with Steph! Bye!" She called when she reached the door, reaching for the handle and trying to get out as quick as she can but there was thumping from the stairs and from the living room as soon as she said anything.

"Do you need me to drop you off anywhere?" Lyall asked, putting his hands on his hips once he was downstairs and Hope came in from the living room, smiling at the teenager all dressed up and looking slightly happy for once.

Sherry had honestly expected more of an interrogation from him. But nevertheless she hesitated and then nodded, it would be easier for him to drive them into town then to walk all the way in there in her high heels.

"Uh, yeah, that'd be great." She accepted and he nodded whilst she brushed some hair out of her face. "I'll just call Steph, letting her know to get ready."

Sherry walked into the living room, where she saw Remus was sat. He looked up at her and furrowed her eyebrows as she walked in all dressed up. She walked over to the small table that the landline sat upon on, taking the receiver from its holder and putting in the number for the one at the house Sherry knew Stephanie was staying at.

The day the girl had come to visit, she had given all information to Sherry so they could see each other at any point. It rang a couple times before someone picked up and Sherry heard Stephanie's mother greet her from the other side in her usual chirpy voice she often had.

"Hi, Mrs Hopper." Sherry greeted and looked up to see Remus staring at her on the phone, television remote in his hand. She pulled a face at him and he pulled one back before redirecting his attention to the TV. "It's Sherry, I was wondering if I could speak to Stephanie."

"Oh, honey, she went out about half an hour ago." Mrs. Hopper said with a small bit of sympathy in her voice, Sherry suspected that Steph had gone blabbing her business to her mother too. She frowned slightly in disappointment but perked back up again as the woman spoke again. "She went to that café-restaurant in town, I think you might be able to catch her if you leave now."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hopper. Bye bye." Sherry said before putting the phone back down and going back into the hall where Lyall and Hope were talking to one another, looking slightly upset. She furrowed her eyebrows as she walked in. "Everything okay?"

They snapped their heads over to her as she entered and plastered smiles on their faces but Sherry knew the difference between a real one and a fake one. She awkwardly smiled back at them, wondering if they had been talking about her and become stoic when she had entered again. Lyall just sighed out and grabbed his car keys from the hall table by his side.

"So where are we going?" He asked and Hope gave Sherry a small hug goodbye before walking back into the living room to supposedly talk with her son.

"The café-restaurant in town, I forgot what it was called." She stuttered, opening up the door. Lyall called his goodbyes and then shut the door behind them when they were both out and walking towards the car in the driveway. "It's next to a club though."

"I know the one." He nodded his head, opening the door to the drivers seat and sliding in. Sherry got in the passengers seat and pulled her dress down slightly since it had ridden up on her thighs. "With that young boy always reading books?"

"Yeah." Sherry smiled, looking out of the window as she remembered their conversations from that day. But her smile slowly drifted as she remembered another conversation that had happened that day, the one that left her alone. "That's the one."

Lyall started the car and pulled out of the driveway. It took 5 minutes for them to reach where they wanted and Sherry got out of the car when it had been put in park. She smiled at Lyall and managed to laugh at his comment of 'stay safe' when the door was closing. He waved at her from the window and she wagged her fingers before turning around.

The café was now the setting of a restaurant since it was now the evening and as Sherry looked around for Steph, she caught one familiar face at the bar in the back part of the building. She walked past tables and tables until she reached it and stood by it, waiting for the person to look her way.

"Goldie." The boy greeted, looking surprised to see her there as he paused with a glass in his hand. He placed it on the table and turned to grab some alcohol off of the shelves and to pour in the glasses. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

"What?" She was momentarily thrown off, furrowing her eyebrows at his odd words. He simply laughed and grabbed the drinks to give to two grown men further along the bar before coming back to her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, your best friends here." He stated, shrugging his shoulders and putting the alcohol back on the shelves behind him. Sherry nodded and looked around for her once again, seeing no sign of the girl. "I think she went to the bathroom though, just round there. Came in with your boyfriend, thought it was a matter of time before you came."

"Came in with who?" Her head snapped back around to him and noticing the change in her tone, he looked up at her nervously and abandoned the cloth he had been cleaning the bar with. "My boyfriend?"

"Y-Yeah." He stuttered, looking at her crestfallen face as she looked around the place again. The bathrooms he had pointed to were the ones in the bar area where she was stood and she looked over in that direction. "Did you not know he was coming?"

Sherry didn't dignify him with a response. Instead she walked past the two adults drinking further along the bar, walked around until she was staring at the door labelled 'toilets'. She walked through the door, met with a corridor that stretched into the men's on one side, the women's on the other and a bigger one for baby changing and she thought people who had a harder time fitting into the other small cubicles.

The door was locked. Sherry walked closer to the bigger cubicles door and listened carefully, she heard something and her heart dropped to her stomach. She wasn't sure if it was what she was thinking of or not but hoped to God it wasn't. To just make sure, she worked it up within her to knock on the door.

She heard rustling and then a very familiar voice called 'occupied' and Sherry reckoned she could've just dropped dead and not gotten back up. Still she felt a pulling urge to know the truth and shakily reached into her dress, finding her wand she kept with her at all times. Her hand was still shaking as she pulled it out and pointed it at the door with a gulp.

If her suspicions were correct, then she would leave. If they weren't and she was just imagining it then she mentally apologised to whoever was in her for bursting in on them knowingly.

"Alohamora." She said in a cracking whisper and heard the lock click. It was making her sick, her stomach was churning and she had no idea if she would be able to handle another drastic event in her life like this one. The truth had to be revealed.

She had to know.

The door opened at once, swinging and she heard swearing, more rustling and it took a minute for her eyes to adjust. Once they did, she felt nothing but numbness coursing through her. There, in the bathroom and in her full view, was a shirtless Matt with only his boxers in whilst he pulled up his pants and Stephanie in her underwear, trying to pull on a dress.

But as soon as they realised who exactly had caught them, they both froze. Sherry only stared, nodded with a small scoff and sniffled before turning around and walking back through the corridor she had come from. She slammed the door to the bathroom behind her but heard it open again a moment later when Stephanie came out pleading and saying her name.

Sherry didn't listen, she walked out of the bathroom corridor with vigour and set her sights on the exit. But a sob from behind her made her pause. She glanced to the bar and saw the waiter boy staring in concern but instead of lingering on him, she turned around slower to look at the people behind her.

Stephanie had one strap hanging from her shoulder and tears tracking down her face. She was saying something but her words just sounded like buzzing in Sherry's ears. This was more than sadness, this was more then anguish, this was outrage. This was fury. This was inflammation and Sherry had never been so vexed. Too many things had happened and she had let too many roll off her back.

"You're crying?" Sherry asked in a small whisper, silencing whatever Stephanie was saying and the girl shut her mouth. Matt came out of the corridor, dressed and widened his eyes at the scene before him. "You're fucking crying? You're the one who's hurt?"

The two men at the bar turned around, interested at the fight. Sherry walked up to Stephanie, burning with so much wrath she didn't even know what was going to come out of her mouth. Matt stood behind her but Sherry wasn't even ready to face him, the exhilaration from telling Stephanie would fuel the fire she would burn Matt with.

"You're the most self-centred, idiotic person I have ever fucking met." Sherry pointed a finger at Stephanie as she cried, not even caring for the way the water travelled down her cheeks. "You fuck my ex? And you're fucking crying? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Sher, can you do this later?" Matt stepped forward, talking quietly and Sherry swapped her attention to him. "There's people."

"Shut the fuck up!" She yelled at him. There were people around and she was aware of that, which is why she was okay with tarnishing her reputation slightly because she knew that Matt would never do anything to her as long as witnesses were around. He was freaked out that Potter saw, let alone a whole restaurant.

Sherry could yell at him and hit him because she was justified but he could do nothing to her. People in this place could think she was crazy, could craft their own opinions about the maniacal American girl who started screaming in the middle of the bar. But Sherry didn't care. She'd had enough.

"You're a fucking prick, Matt. You think you're some perfect little angel who can get all the girls he wants and then use and abuse them to his own desires. But you are not. You are someone who is so privileged that they think they can get away with everything. I hate you. So much. More than I have ever hated anyone." She said. "How long have you been thinking of fucking Steph?"

"Sherry." Stephanie whimpered and the girl looked over to her, snatching her arm out of her reach as she tried to take it. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know why I did it. He was upset and you'd just broken up and-"

"Just broken up?" Sherry asked and looked to Matt in confirmation. He clenched his jaw and nodded solemnly, Stephanie gasped at her own slip-up and gave a sob as Sherry turned to her again and sighed angrily before pointing at the girl angrily again. "You dumb, fucking bitch, I'm gonna fuck you up!"

And Sherry launched for her. She pushed Stephanie at the shoulders, throwing her back before she ran forward again and slapped the girl across the face. Stephanie let out a little scream and retaliated, gripping at Sherry's arms and attempting to hit her. But Sherry grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled it, resulting in yet another scream. Steph reached for hers but Sherry pulled back from her and delivered another slap.

"Hey, no, break it up!" Matt tried to come in the middle of them and Sherry wound up force before punching him to the side.

Winces came from a lot of people around them as Sherry and Stephanie fought. The tears from Steph seemed to have dried and instead she became angry, but Sherry was angrier. They punched, pulled, slapped and eventually Sherry threw Stephanie to the floor. She was right back up and running to Sherry, fists flying. Each of them got pushed into walls and at one point, Steph pushed Sherry into the bar.

She smirked wickedly but Sherry put her hand out and one of the men from further along slid her their drink. Sherry grabbed it and threw it in Stephanie's facing, hearing the girl yelp and back away whilst rubbing her eyes. She winced and backed away as Sherry turned to face the waiter, who smiled awkwardly at her before nervously glancing at the door.

Sherry turned around, widening her eyes at the sight of a police officer coming to the door. People were staring at her and she straightened up slightly.

"Act casual. Come with me." The boy said from the other side of the bar and Sherry glanced at him, seeing him walk out of the bar and towards the toilets corridor.

Sherry casually turned but was met with Matt stood behind her. He gripped at her arm, looking at her angrily but with her other hand, she grabbed his hair and pulled it back. Even he wasn't ready for the force of her grip and she managed to get free of his grasp, weaving past him until she was rushing through the door to the corridor where the boy met her.

She was slightly freaked out but followed him as he beckoned further down the corridor. At the end there was a fire exit and he opened it for her, allowing her to step out into the night air away from all the chaos. His finger touched her face and it was only then she realised that she was crying, he was wiping a tear away.

"Don't get caught." He told her.

"Don't sell me out." She countered and he smirked at her as if to say touché.

He shut the door, locking her out in the dark and she took a deep breath. All dressed up for nothing, excited for nothing, looking for her friend for nothing, fighting for nothing. Sherry Opal was nothing...and she knew that as she leant against the brick wall of the alleyway she had been deposited in and dared to ruin her dress by sliding down to the dirty floor.

Where she belonged. A fool, left with nothing.

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A/N: euphoria things

i apologise for fucking up sherry's life but it has to be done. it hurts me too guys, don't worry